Jonathan Richards: "Deciding what text to put on an interactive button can be difficult, not least because of the unusual grammar of the 'interactive voice'. Here, we propose a test to use when in doubt."

You have a great logo and slogan and you have researched and established the branding you want for you small business. But are you living up to that branding? Most small business owners believe they are living up to their branding and ideals, but when it comes to what their business delivers, they may not …

Dawn Matheson's insight:

Interesting that the article focused on employees as brand "ambassadors" ... substitute "customers" and it is still the same message.

"It is also important to remind your staff that they are brand 'ambassadors' when delivering your product or service. More importantly, give them the resources to live up to and deliver your branding consistently. If your branding message is “High Quality for Less”, don’t give your staff low-quality tools ..."

Conversion rate optimization can feel like a never ending quest for perfection. The hard truth is: no matter how hard you work, your landing page will never be perfect! Each potential customer comes to your page with slightly different motivations and questions. It would simply be impossible for you to design a landing page speaking... Read more »

In the highly competitive world of digital marketing, it is critical that you stand out from the crowd.

Authority marketing (AuthorityMarketing.com) is a systematic process of building your thought leadership and integrating it with your online and offline marketing, in a way that not only helps you get noticed but will streamline your efforts in the long run.

A look at the unwritten rules and research into social media friendships and how this might impact the way that marketers strategize and post.

Dawn Matheson's insight:

From the post: There are hidden motivations behind a lot of the actions we take online, especially so with social media. The influence of friends and family has a big impact on what we click, view, share, and like."

People use Pinterest to discover creative ideas and plan their futures every day. This is a huge opportunity for businesses because people need your inspiration, products and services to make their plans a reality. Your business can Pin products, inspire Pinners and drive clicks to your website. A strong image can play a large role in driving Pin engagement. If your business website already has product images, you can start creating Pins directly from your site with our Pin It button for browsers.

A perfect post is elusive at best. In reality there is no perfect post, but there are some fundamentals best practices on Google Plus that will help you get the highest return on your time spent positing and reward you with engagement.

"[Pinterest beginners] invest a lot of time gathering their images & then they pin their hearts out. ... setting up Pinterest without a clear picture of how all the pieces fit together often ends in disappointment too."

This is an experiment to test how a Google+ Post using the same headline on Scoop.it will render the G+ Post and compare how the G+ Stream content get's ranked sooner and higher versus a Scoop.it story.

When preparation of a business plan is at the top of the SBA list of the ten steps to starting a business, it tells you something about how important the experts consider it to be. Planning a business and writing a business plan is more than just having a location picked and a product or service to sell.

Here's a comprehensive but palatable guide to writing a business plan. You will find links to examples and additional information. It's worth a read if you want to start a business. However, I wouldn't recommend developing a business plan in a vacuum, if you've never tried to do one before. Since this is one of the most important foundational steps you can take, it's worth investing the time in a coach that can challenge your thinking.

Today's environment reminds me a lot of when I was first in the business. You have to adapt, you have to research, you have to be open to challenges. If you are, your career will flourish. But if you fear - watch to world go by.

Email and mobile have been major players this holiday season, and columnist Jordan Elkind discusses what this means for marketers.

Dawn Matheson's insight:

Yes, "old school' email marketing still works.

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This gave email the highest percentage compared to other paid marketing channels, beating out the typical leaders organic search and paid search (which drove 19% and 18.5% of Black Friday online sales respectively). Email was also the leading channel on Cyber Monday, sparking 24% of orders."

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.